Quote:
|
Originally Posted by buxiaohui
Meal timing: I’m trying to space 5 meals evenly thru the day, but have read different things about when to eat in relation to workouts. I’m not doing supplements or protein shakes- not an option for me, so do you recommend me just drinking water during workout (surely not eating, right?)? Do I eat 2-3 hours before workout, then within 30 min. after? Or do I eat 2-3 hours before, then again right before workout, then within 30 min after? OR, if I work out in the morning, should I work out on an empty stomach and then eat afterwards? I’m so confused!>!
|
Meal timing and working out is another one of those 2+2=5 phenomenons.
I would NEVER weight train on an empty stomach, and i would never reccommend anyone to do so. I do cardio in the morning on an empty stomach (actually i take some branch chain amino acids first). But never weight train. If i don't cardio and weight train at separate sessions (which is what i prefer) i would just add on a bit of cardio at the end of weight training.
Your post workout meal is extremely important. This is one time where something high-glycemic works to your advantage. Having those dump trucks move dirt quickly will help for better recovery and gains. So you can have some fruit or juice. Right now i am using a whey shake that contains a maltodextrin and dextrose mix. In fact this is also the only time i will have a protein shake (unless emergency situations)....and this is also a time where i would suggest that a shake is in fact better than a meal (and one of the only times for that matter). You want quick and easy nutrition for those muscles. Drinking egg whites (pasteurized ones) could be an option, although not as portable, or tastey LOL i've done this before, tastes gross, and you ahve to keep it cold obviously. Actually you can probably put a banana in a blender with some yogurt and or milk, even chocolate milk (and if you are brave, add them egg whites!) and you would have a pretty decent PWO shake.
Immediately after training you want those quick-digesting carbs and some protein. You don't need fat in this meal. Then about maybe an hour or two later, eat a "real" meal.
As for your before meal. In the past i've had to weight train early in the morning right after waking up...not much time to eat and digest and then train. I would mix oatmeal with some whey protein and it works well. Again, if you don't do whey, you can maybe use something like cottage cheese for your protein. The idea is to eat something to give you fuel, but not too much so that you feel like you're going to toss your cookies in the middle of training. You have to experiment a bit with this. Right now i train in the late afternoon, so i will eat a small meal about 1.5 hours before training.
I can eat something like a piece of fruit & shake and train virtually immediately after. If i ate a peanut butter sandwhich, i woudl probably have to wait 2 hours before training. A higher fat meal (or a high volume meal) will require more digestion time (although keeps you full longer). I keep the fat of my pre-training meal in the realm of approx. 5-7 grams.
During the actual workout, yes, drink water. You don't need anything else. I see guys drink gatorade and what not. But if you bracket your workout with nutrition, i feel it is unecessary. Unless you are doing prolonged training lasting over an hour.
What you want to avoid is eating a meal 2-3 hours prior to training, then spending an hour (maybe a little longer) training, and then going home and eating. Suddenly that adds up to like, 5 hours of no food. Still try to eat every 3 hours.